From G4S van driver to lord of the dance!
Mark, 50, enjoys new role running dance fitness classes
STRICTLY Come Dancing fans can now join in dance fitness classes – run by a former van driver who became a competitive dancer.
Mark Ferrugia, who was born in Malta, started dancing with his partner Kay just for fun.
But they soon discovered a passion for performing that took them to the national over-35s championships.
Mark, aged 50, previously worked for security company G4S as a driver. But after being laid off, he decided to find a way to make a job out of his love of dancing.
“I started dancing with my wife about 17 years ago. It started as a hobby,” said Mark, who lives in Newcastle.
“She used to like Strictly Come Dancing. I used to watch it with her and then we decided to do that together.
“We started to take it seriously and started entering competitions. We danced in the over-35 category. We managed to reach the top six in the UK. We did it part-time, not professionally.”
Mark has also danced in many prestigious locations, including at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom which hosts Strictly Come Dancing for one show a year.
“I used to work for G4S, I used to deliver cash to the banks, and then I was made redundant,” he said.
“They gave me six months’ notice so I just had a good think about my situation, I didn’t want to go back to being a driver.
“I thought what can I do? I used all my skills. I thought I can do a class where people can come and do a fitness class, they can dance not needing a partner. Now I do about 15 classes a week.”
Mark runs his classes over a wide area, in Alsager, as well as Macclesfield and Cannock.
People have been drawn to the classes by the fun-loving Mark and so they learn some dance moves and keep fit.
To find out more about the classes, search for Strictly Latin Dance Fit CLASS/FITSTEPS on Facebook.